Freeman to confront the heir apparent in hostile territory

By Jacquelin MagnayApril 19 2003

Cathy Freeman won't waste any time confronting her most serious world championship rivals with the Melbourne runner to take on world No.1 Ana Guevara early next month.

In her first international race for three years, Freeman will race Guevara at the Mexico City 1968 Olympic stadium over the unusual distance of 300m. More than 58,000 of Guevara's home-town fans are expected to create an explosive atmosphere.

The May 3 race looms as a huge test of confidence for Freeman, who is still struggling to make the Australian team for the Paris world championships. She has yet to post the sub-51.37sec qualifying time but is expected to do so during her European season.

More importantly, Freeman has been reeling from what she called the thrashing she got from Australia's top-ranked 400m hurdler, Jana Pittman, last month and will need to be competitive against Guevara to launch her European season.

Guevara, unbeaten in 2003 with Freeman sidelined and Marie Jose Perec still in hiding, has become a huge celebrity in Mexico. The 26-year-old shared the IAAF Golden League jackpot last season and won the grand prix final and the world cup. Her fastest time is 49.16s, clocked at the Zurich grand prix. Freeman, in the best shape of her life, won at the Sydney Olympics in 49.11s.");document.write("